Godfrey Gao (born September 22, 1984 – died November 27, 2019) was a Taiwanese-born Canadian actor, model, and social media personality from Taipei. He is best known for being the first Asian model to appear for Louis Vuitton in a campaign.
He was later named as an official model by the brand in 2011. As an actor, Godfrey started acting in various minor roles in Chinese TV dramas in 2006. He appeared in shows like The Kid from Heaven, Chao Ji Pai Tang Super, Queen of Love, etc. .
List of movies, TV shows, and death on set
Gao made her pictorial debut with a movie called All About Women as X in 2008. Her first leading role came with the 2010 drama series Volleyball Lover as Bai Qianrui. Furthermore, she gained great success and fame after starring in the movie “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones”.
The actor played one of the recurring roles of Magnus Bane in the 2013 movie. Some of his other popular projects are Legend of the Ancient Sword, Shanghai Fortress, My Other Home, The Jade Pendant, and many more.
On November 27, 2019, the actor tragically passed away at the young age of 35. The incident happened while he was filming a TV show in China on Wednesday. Suddenly, Godfrey collapsed in the eastern city of Ningbo on the set of Chase Me.
According to the source, Gao was slow and then fell to the ground when the actor was running during filming. In addition, hospital reports indicate that the actor suffered a cardiac arrest.
Early years, parents, childhood and education
The model whose real full birth name is Tsao Chih-hsiang was born on September 22, 1984 in Taipei, Taiwan. Therefore, Godfrey Gao’s age was 35 years old, as of 2019. Her father “Tsao Tao-cheng” worked as a general manager at Michelin Taiwan.
In fact, the actor’s mother, “Tan Say Tin”, remained the winner of the beauty pageant. She won the Miss Penang beauty pageant in 1970. The model was of multiracial ethnicity as her father is of Shanghainese descent and her mother is a Malay of Peranakan Chinese descent.
Tsao Chih-hsiang had three younger brothers (names not available). The family moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada when he was very young. Regarding education, he first attended Queensbury Primary School and Argyle High School.
Godfrey later graduated from Capilano University with a bachelor’s degree. During her college days, she used to play basketball for the college team, but she wanted to pursue her career in the world of fashion.
| Lifestyle/Biography | |
|---|---|
| Real full birth name | Godfrey Gao. |
| Also know as | Godfrey Tsao, Gao Yixiang and Kao Yi-hsiang. |
| Profession | Actor, model and social media personality. |
| Famous for | being the first Asian model to appear in a Louis Vuitton campaign. |
| Age (as of 2019) | 35 years old . |
| Date of Birth (DOB), Birthday | September 22, 1984. |
| sun sign (zodiac sign) | Virgo. |
| Death date | November 27, 2019. |
| He died | November 27, 2019 (35 years old) Ningbo, Zhejiang, China. |
| Birthplace/Hometown | Taipei, Taiwan (but raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada). |
| At home | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. |
| Nationality | Taiwanese-Canadian. |
| Sexuality (gay or lesbian) | Heterosexual |
| Gender | Male. |
| Religion | Christendom. |
| ethnicity | Taiwanese-Canadian. |
| filmography | |
| Debut | Movie : All about women (2008, as X). TV Show : The Child from Heaven (2006, as Luo Yixiang). web series :— |
| List of movies/TV shows | 1. The Child of Heaven. 2. All about women. 3. 101 Proposals. 4. Toy Story 3. 5. Min. and Max. 6. Wedding Bible. 7. Shadowhunters: City of Bones. 8. My other home. 9. Min. and Max. 10. Shanghai Fortress. 11. Legend of the ancient sword. 12. The jade pendant. 13. Love is a Broadway hit. 14. I want to be a tough guy. 15. Queen of love. 16. Chao Ji Pai Tang Super. 17. Volleyball lover. 18. Momo Amor. 19. Bullfights. 20. Hello precious. 21. The queen of PCOS. 22. Odd Perfect Combination. 23. God of war, Zhao Yun. 24. Never give up Dodo. 25. We are alone. 26. The gravity of a rainbow. 27. Remembering Lichuan. |
| Represented by | Jet Star Entertainment. |
| Social Media Account Statistics | Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/godfreygao/? Twitter : https://twitter.com/GodfreyGao? Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/godfreygao/ |
| Physical Statistics | |
| height (height) | Feet inches: 6′ 4″ . Centimeters: 193cm . Meters: 1.93 meters . |
| Weight | Kilograms: 78 kg . Pounds: 171 pounds . |
| bicep size | sixteen. |
| Body Measurements (Chest-waist-hips) | 44-31-34. |
| Shoe Size (UK) | 9. |
| eye color | Dark brown. |
| Hair color | Dark brown. |
| Family | |
| Fathers | Father : Tsao Tao-cheng. Mom : Tan Di Tin. |
| Brothers | three younger brothers. |
| Education | |
| Highest Rating | Graduate. |
| College | 1. Argyle Secondary School. 2. Queensbury Primary School. |
| Alma mater. | Capilano University. |
| personal life relationship | |
| Marital status | Single. |
| Dating history? | Not revealed by the actor. |
| Girlfriend | Will update. |
| Name of wife/spouse | None. |
| Son | N/A |
| Daughter | None. |
| Hobbies and favorite things | |
| Favorite Celebrities | Actor: Mark Wahlberg. Actress: Scarlett Johansson. |
| dream vacation destination | Australia. |
| Favorite food | Italian cuisine. |
| Favorite color | Black. |
| I love to do | Reading, theater and works of art. |
| Can | |
| Heritage (approx.) | $2 million US dollars (as of 2019). |
| Salary, income and earnings | — |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Godfrey Gao
- In 2004, Gao returned to Taiwan to start her modeling career. Initially, she signed with JetStar Entertainment.
- Furthermore, the late actor along with other models named Sphinx Ting, Lan Chun-tien, and Victor Chen were collectively dubbed as “Fashion 4” (F4).
- After appearing in the 2016 drama Remembering Lichuan, he was given the nickname “husband of the nation” by the Chinese media.
- News of his death was first confirmed on the Sina Weibo social networking site by JetStar Entertainment.
- The model stood out with an impressive physique. Godfrey Gao stands at 6 feet 4 inches (193 centimeters tall) with a modest build. The weight of him is around 171 pounds (78 Kgs).
- In addition, the sudden death of the model caused further investigation and criticism of the series where she died while filming.
- Contestants on the reality show were required to compete in physically grueling challenges late at night.
- According to the source, Tsao Chih-hsiang had been firing for 17 hours at the time of his collapse.